Chesslike game

ABSTRACT

A chesslike game wherein the size of the playing area and the number of chess figures is increased to permit simulation of a larger war game wherein the players assist one another as allies. The main set of chessmen is set up in a center area of the playing area and when playing squares exist behind these chessmen, unique guard figures are added to the game to protect the royalty figures from a rear attack. In one embodiment, nine conventional checkerboards are loosely supported in physical abutment on a supporting surface thereby permitting a 90* rotation of any one of the boards to selectively match or mismatch alternating colored squares along a border of two adjacent boards. The playing area can be designated by the overall shape of the checkerboards or by transparent or opaque overlays. Movable markers are utilized to designate fortifications.

United States Patent [72] Inventor LawrencelLNolte RR# 1, Hampton, NJ. 08827 21 AppLNo. 754,593

[22] Filed Aug.22,l968

[45] Patented Oct. 5, 1971 [54] CHESSLIKE GAME 16 Claims, 18 Drawing Figs.

[52] US. (11 273/131AB, 273/136 GB, 273/137 R [51'] Int. Cl A6313/02 [50] Field of Search 273/131 A, 131 B, 131 BA, 131 K, 131 KN, 131 KP, 131 L, 136 G, 136 GB [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 511,306 12/1893 Moore... 273/131 B D.;l34,342 11/1942 fieldg, 273/131 K UX 1,344,983 6/1920 Bruner 273/131 B 1,405,988 2/1922 Erwin.... 273/131 K 1,554,094 9/1925 Huffet al 273/131 K 1,674,533 6/1928 Templeton 273/131 B 2,762,625 9/1956 Jones et a1. 273/136 GB X 2,848,237 8/1958 Svejnoha 273/136 GB Primary ExaminerAnton O. Oechsle AltorneyMorgan, Finnegan, Durham and Pine ABSTRACT: A chesslike game wherein the size of the playing area and the number of chess figures is increased to permit simulation of a larger war game wherein the players assist one another as allies. The main set of chessmen is set up in a center area of the playing area and when playing squares exist behind these chessmen, unique guard figures are added to the game to protect the royalty figures from a rear attack. In one embodiment, nine conventional checkerboards are loosely supported in physical abutment on a supporting surface thereby permitting a 90 rotation of any one of the boards to selectively match or mismatch alternating colored squares along a border of two adjacent boards. The playing area can be designated by the overall shape of the checkerboards or by transparent or opaque overlays. Movable markers are utilized to designate fortifications.

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sum 5 or 9 INVENTOR. LAWRENCE H. NOLTE A T TORNEYS cusssuxs GAME This invention relates to a chesslike game and, more particularly, to a game wherein the players, usually more than two, play a chesslike war game as allies. The game is called CI-IESS-O-RAMA and includes many variations, each of which can be designated with its own subtitle.

Chess is probably the worlds oldest game and over the years has been played by many millions of people. The classic chess game simulates a relatively simple war situation where two opponents each start with a set of royalty figures, Le, a king, a queen, a pair of bishops, a pair of knights and a pair of rocks, plus a set of pawns which are initially positioned to protect the more powerful royalty figures. The classic chess game does not expand the game to its full potential nor has the basic game been updated to simulate twentieth century battle conditions.

An object of this invention is to provide a chesslike game which tends to expand the basic game to its full potential for providing a challenging and interesting game for multiple players.

Another object is to provide a chesslike game which can simulate a world war type conflict with players working together as allies. Another object of the invention is to provide -a chesslike game wherein conditions such as fortifications, beachheads, passageways, names of nations and oceans can all become a part of the game.

Another object is to provide a chesslike game in which geography and history can become part of the game.

The manner in which the foregoing and other objects are achieved according to this invention is disclosed in detail in the following specification where several illustrative embodi ments are set forth. The drawings form part of the specification wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration showing the arrangement of nine checkerboards with the positions shown for the figures of the main set of chessmen;

FIG. 2 illustrates the individual figures utilized in the game;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a tabletop overlay for confining the chessboards;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating the game set up ready for use for four players;

FIG. 5 is a partial perspective view illustrating several techniques for defining the borders between boards;

FIGS. 6-8 are perspective views illustrating various techniques for designating the usable playing area;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view illustrating another arrangement of checkerboards for the game;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view illustrating an octagonal game board arrangement;

FIG. 10A shows variations in the octagonal playing area configuration; and

FIGS. llA-llG are schematic diagrams indicating various initial positions for the chessmen and the movements of the pawns.

FIG. 1 illustrates a basic playing area arrangement with the main set of chessmen in position. The centerboard 10, referred to as the C board is a conventional checkerboard having eight squares on a side with the squares alternating in color to provide ranks and files forming squares of bilaterally alternating colors. The remainder of playing area as shown in FIG. 1 consists of eight additional conventional checkerboards 11-18 arranged around the centerboard to form a three-by-three square. The additional boards are designated according to their position in relation to the points of the compass such that board 11 in the upper left is designated NW for northwest, the upper centerboard 12 is designated N" for north, the upper right board 13 is designated NE" for northeast, etc.

The nine boards, when assembled, provide an enlarged checkered playing area including 24 squares on a side. In some variations of the CI-IESS-O-RAMA game according to this invention, the entire playing surface is used, whereas in other variations of the game, only selected portions of the playing surface are utilized. The players decide this matter at a conference before beginning a game as will be more fully described later.

Although an object of the game according to the invention is to expand the classic chess game to increase the number of players and to simulate a more complex battle situation, this cannot be satisfactorily accomplished by simply increasing the size of the playing area and the number of chess pieces. Preferably, the playing area between an opposing set of chess figures should not change materially from the classic game so as to not increase the number of plays required to make initial contact with the enemy and so as to not decrease the compactness of the center area which the opposing players seek to dominate. Also, as many of the classic playing patterns as possible should be retained. I

The initial setup for the main set of chessmen according to this invention is shown in FIG. 1 and includes the royalty rows 20 and 21 for the north and south players, respectively. Each royalty row includes a king, a queen, a pair of bishops, a pair of knights and a pair of rooks. The royalty rows are aligned along the north and south edges of the centerboard in the customary fashion. The north pawn row 22 is located on the centerboard in the rank adjacent the royalty row and the south pawn row 23 is located in the rank adjacent the south royalty row. To this point, the setup of the chessmen on the centerboard is the same as in a conventional chessgame.

A row of guards 24 is located on the north board 12 adjacent royalty row 20 and a row of guards 25 is located on the south board 16 adjacent royalty row 21. The guard figures are of a character generally similar to the pawns, i.e., they are not particularly powerful figures in themselves and, hence, are considered more or less expendable by the players. These guards, however, perform a very valuable function in the game, since they protect the otherwise exposed royalty row from a rear attack. In the normal chess game, the royalty row is positioned along theedge of the board and is, therefore, protected from the possibility of a rear attack. In the CHESS- O-RAMA game, this protective function is delegated to the guard figures.

The size of the playing area used during a particular game can be varied as desired and is normally increased as the number of players increase. In the simplest arrangement, only the centerboard, the east board and the west board are utilized (or the north and south instead of the east and west). In the next enlargement, the north and south boards 12 and 16 are added to the center east and west boards 10, 14, and 18. With the addition of north and south boards 12 and 16, passageways between the north, east, south and west boards are desirable so that, for example, a player can move from the north board to the east board without having to work through a concentration of chess figures on the centerboard. The size of the passageways is determined by the players and designated by diagonal fortification markers 30-33 located respectively on boards 13, 15, 17 and II. The fortifications defining the passageways can be designated in a variety of different ways, as will be described hereinafter. In FIG. 1, movable bar markers are utilized to designate the fortifications and thereby determine the width of the passageways. In the fully expanded game, the entire surfaces of all nine boards are utilized.

In addition to the particular arrangements set forth above, it is also possible to use odd-sized and odd-shaped checkerboards to provide additional unique playing area arrangements as desired.

Chessmen sets, in addition to the main set of chessmen, can be added in a variety of different arrangements. For example, a four-player game is created by adding a set of chessmen set up along the free edges of the east and west boards 14 and 18 (see the illustration in FIG. 4). As an alternative, a four-player game can be created by adding a set of chessmen deployed along the free edges of the north and south boards 12 and 16, instead of the east and west boards. Other locations for the additional chessmen are also possible.

A six-player game is created by adding two sets of chessmen in addition to the setup on the centerboard. These additional chessmen can be set up along the free edges of the north, south, east and west boards, or can be set up in the corner boards ll, l3, l5 and 17 facing either north-south or eastwest. An eight-player game is achieved by adding three additional chess sets which can be set up along the free edges of the playing surface as desired. For example, one set of chessmen can be set on the east and west boards 14 and 18 facing east-west and the other two sets can be positioned on the comer boards ll, l3, l5 and 17 facing north-south.

Since the chessmen of the individual chess sets can move from board to board and interrningle with chessmen of other chess sets, each set of chessmen should be distinctive so that each player can keep track of his own figures. All of the darker colored chessmen play together as allies and, likewise, all of the lighter colored chessmen are allies.

The individual chess pieces are shown in FIG. 2. The king 40 moves one square in any direction and can capture a figure one square away in any direction. The capture of a king means the defeat of his army as in a conventional chess game. However, in CHESS-O-RAMA where there are several kings working as allies, the allied forces are not defeated until each of the kings is captured. The queen 41 is the most powerful figure and can move either diagonally, vertically or horizontally. The bishop 42 moves only diagonally and the rook 44 moves either horizontally or vertically. The knight 43 moves one square vertically or horizontally and then one square diagonally. The knight is unique in that it is the only figure which can jump over other figures in the course of a move. The figures 40-44 make up the royalty row which consists of one king, one queen, two bishops, two knights and two rocks. The royalty row is set up on the chessboard in the customary fashion.

The basic moves of the pawn 45 in the Cl-IESS-O-RAMA game is conventional, i.e., the pawn moves only forward either one or two squares on its first move and one square per move thereafter. The pawn can only capture another figure on the forward diagonal. A pawn is given a commission, i.e., exchanged for a more powerful figure corresponding to that which occupied the square at the start of the game, when it manages to pass through a battlefield and reach a commissioning area without being captured. As shown in FIG. 1, the commissioning areas 26 and 27 are located on the centerboard and can be indicated by suitable indicia such as a different color, or can be defined in the rules of the game. The pawns of the main set of chessmen advance in the usual fashion across the centerboard toward the commissioning area on the other side. The forward path for pawns initially located in other portions of the playing area is defined according to the rules of the game and always leads to a commissioning area. For example, pawns on the NW and NE boards 11 and 13 move toward the north board 12 and thereafter make a right-angle turn toward commissioning area 26. Pawns initially on the SW and SE boards 17 and move toward the south board 16, and then turn toward commissioning area 27. Pawns initially on the east and west boards 14 and 18 move toward the centerboard 10 and then turn toward one of the commissioning areas overlay is hinged along a center line 52 and can therefore be 26 or 27. In this case the pawns will travel toward the commisfolded up for storage. A raised edge molding 51 is provided around the periphery. The area inside the raised edge portion corresponds to the area occupied by the nine playing boards. The centerboard 10 in FIG. 3 is shown positioned to illustrate an underneath surface which is provided with thumbnail grooves which permit the player to grip the board at the edge so that it can be picked up and positioned as desired. The other boards are provided with similar thumbnail grooves.

The raised border 51 can be marked in a map-finder fashion, i.e., numbers along the vertical edges and letters along the horizontal edges so that each square on the playing field can be specifically identified by a number and letter combination. The border can also be marked to indicate the initial positions for the various chess figures initially located along the border.

FIG. 4 illustrates the initial game setup on the tabletop overlay with the nine checkerboards 10-18 positioned inside raised portion 51. The game is set up for four players. The chessmen for one player include the royalty row 20 and the pawn row 22 on centerboard 10, as well as the guard row 24 on the north board 12. The chessmen for an opposing player include the royalty row 21 and the pawn row 23 located on centerboard 10, as well as guard row 25 located on south board 16. The chessmen for the ally of the player on the north side of the centerboard include the royalty row 54 and pawn row 55 on the west board 18, and the opposing ally would have chessmen including royalty row 56 and pawn row 57 on the east board 14.

The fortifications 30-33 define the usable portion, or passageways, on the corner boards ll, l3, l5 and 17. For convenience of illustration, the usable portion of the corner boards is shown in solid lines, whereas the unused portion is shown in dash lines.

The boundaries between adjacent boards are significant in some variations of the CHESS-O-RAMA game and, therefore, the boards are preferably constructed to provide a plainly visible boarder. This can be achieved by maintaining a space separation between adjacent boards as illustrated in FIG. 5 and, perhaps, by placing different colored spacers (not shown) between the boards. Also, as shown in FIG. 5, the dark squares such as 60, 61 and 62 on boards ll, 12 and 18, respectively, can each be made a different color. The boards can also be distinguished by using different patterns on the dark squares such as the squares 63 on board 10.

According to one version of the game when a figure encounters a border, it must stop and another move is required in order to cross the border. However, if the players wish to speed up the game, they can agree to permit chess figures to cross the boundaries without restriction.

In the normal game arrangement such as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, for example, the squares at the edges of all adjacent boards are aligned so that a uniform bilaterally alternating color pattern persists throughout the entire playing area. However, additional interest can be provided by rotating one or more of the boards 90 with respect to the others, as is illustrated in FIG. 3. Boards 11 and 18 are shown in FIG. 3 in their normal positions but board 12 has been rotated 90 so that the dark squares on board 11 are adjacent the dark squares on board 12. The misalignment at the boundary creates an interesting situation for pieces moving on the diagonal, since there will be an offset in the path taken by these pieces as they they are distinctive relative to other figures of the chess set. cross the borders. As previously mentioned, the players can The guards move one square in any direction, i.e., vertically, horizontally or diagonally, but capture only on the diagonal. The guard figures can be deployed in a fashion similar to the pawns in order to provide a defense of the royalty row from decide to observe the borders and require separate moves for crossing the borders, or the players can ignore the borders to provide a faster game.

FIGS. 6-8 illustrate other techniques for defining the usable the rear. The guards have a greater degree of freedom in their playing surface for a particular game and, in particular, the lo cation and width of the passageways in the comer areas. In FIG. 6, small triangular-shaped checkerboards 70-73 are utilized in place of the full-size comer boards. In FIG. 7, a colored, transparent overlay is employed to designate the area available for playing. In FIG. 8, opaque corner pieces are used to cover the area not available for playing.

As shown in FIG. 9, the individual checkerboards can be set up in other than a three-by-three square pattern. By loosely arranging the boards as, for example, shown in FIG. 9, various odd-shaped nonplaying areas (the spaces between boards) exist within the outer boundaries of the game. The squares at the borders can be either aligned or misaligned as desired by the players. The individual sets of chessmen can be set up along the edges of any desired board. However, where a royalty row is set up in a position where playable squares are present behind the royalty row, the squares adjacent this royalty row should be occupied by the guard figures.

At this point, it should be noted that the enlarged game lends itself particularly well into simulating historic wartime situations such as World War ll. For example, the center checkerboard can be considered the French battlefield, and the four adjacent boards can be designated the Russian front, the Italian front and the German front. The comer boards can be designated according to various bodies of water such as the Black Sea, the Atlantic Ocean, the Red Sea and the Pacific Ocean. The passageways could correspond to significant geographic passageways such as the English Channel, the Suez Canal and the Brenner Pass through the Alps. The borders can be designated according to significant wartime boundaries such as the Maginot Line and various significant waterfront boundaries such as the Dunkirk Beach and the Cliffs of Dover.

The chessmen need not be initially positioned along a rank or file of the checkered playing area, since they can be positioned along a diagonal row as shown in FIG. 10. The playing area shown in FIG. has a generally octagonal shape as can be achieved by designating portions of the comer boards 1 l, l3, l5 and 17 as nonusable areas, or by using specially shaped comer boards as shown. The portion of the corner board which is removed or not used (shown in dotted lines in the lower right) includesseven squares along the outer edges and therefore the remaining portion includes somewhat more than one-half of the original board. With this configuration, the outer diagonal row of complete squares includes eight squares and therefore can accommodate the eight chessmen of royalty row 80 as shown. The diagonal row 81 in front of royalty row 80 includes seven full squares and can therefore accommodate seven pawns as shown. The eighth pawn 82 can be placed in the next adjacent diagonal row.

With the octagonal playing area, the main set of chessmen is set up on centerboard 10 in the manner previously described in FIG. I with a guard row located behind each of the royalty rows. Additional sets of chessmen can be deployed around the edges of the playing area as desired, i.e., along the files at the outer edges of the east and west boards, along the outer ranks of the north and south boards, or along diagonal rows of any of the corner boards.

The above described octagonal playing area is only one game possibility which may be utilized. FIG. 10A shows variations in the octagonal playing area configuration. The pawns follow paths leading to the commissioning areas which are usually designated as the areas initially occupied by royalty rows 20 and 21 on the centerboard. Accordingly, pawns on the corner boards will move toward the north and south boards, respectively, and thereafier turn toward the center board and the commissioning areas.

Although there are a large variety of possible games within the scope of the concepts referred to generally as CHESS-O- RAMA, some of the more specific game combinations have been given specific subtitle names and are described schematically in FIGS. llA-l 1C. These diagrams indicate the shape of the usable playing area for the specific subtitle game, the initial location of the royalty rows for the multiple chess sets used in he game, the location of the commissioning areas and the paths taken by the pawns toward the commissioning areas.

For convenience, one of the royalty rows of the main chess set, e.g., the dark chess figures, is indicated as X,." and the opposing royalty row of the main set of chessmen, i.e., the lighter colored chess figures, is designated 0,. The royalty figures of the main chess set are deployed along north and south edges of centerboard l0 and initially occupy the commissioning areas 26 and 27. The designations X,," X,," etc. are used to indicate the initial positions for the royalty rows which are allies of X,," and the designations O,." 0,,," etc. similarly indicate the initial positions for the allies of O,." The designations P,," I P,,," etc. indicate the initial pawn positions, and the arrows associated therewith indicate the respective paths of the pawns toward their respective commisslonmg areas.

CHESS-O-RAMA is the smallest of the CHESS-O-RAMA games and, as illustrated in FIGS. 11A and 11B, is played on three of the checkerboards.

With one variation, referred to as 'CHESS-A-GRAM-ONE, the east and west boards 14 and 18 are used in addition to the centerboard 10. The main set of chessmen (X,and 0,) is deployed along the north and south edges of the centerboard l0 and a second set of chessmen (X, and O is deployed along the east and west edges of the playing area, i.e., the outer edges of the east and west boards 14 and 18. The pawns of the main set of chessmen (P, and P move south and north toward commissioning areas 27 and 26, respectively. The pawns of the other set of chessmen (P; and P travel east and west, respectively, until they reach the centerboard and thereafter turn toward the commissioning area initially occupied by opposing chessmen.

CHESS-A-GRAM-TWO is also played on three boards as illustrated in FIG. 118, but in this case the north and south boards 12 and 16 are used instead of the east and west boards. When initially set up, the chessmen X," of the main chess set are located between opposing chessmen O," and 0,," and the chessmen 0,are likewise located between chessmen X,"and X,." The pawns of the main chess set (P, and P,) travel south and north, respectively, toward commission areas 27 and 26. The pawns of the other set of chessmen (P, and P,) travel south and north toward commissioning areas 26 and 27, respectively, thereby passing through guard rows G.

The CHESS-A-GRAM game is played on three boards and is designed for four players. However, two players can use the two chess sets alternately.

CHESS-A-WAR is illustrated in FIG. 11C and utilizes a playing area consisting of the centerboard 10, the ,north, south, east and west boards, as well as the passagesways created on the corner boards ll, l3, l5 and 17. Two sets of chessmen are set up and moved in essentially the same manner as previously described for CHESS-A-GRAM-ONE (FIG. 11A) except that, because of the larger playing area, chess- .men can move behind the main set of chessmen for a rear attack. This is basically a four-player game, but can be expanded to a six-player game by adding another set of chessmen deployed on the north and south boards in a manner similar to that described with respect to CHESS-A-GRAM-TWO (FIG. 1 1B).

CHESS-A-PEAKE is basically a six-player game utilizing the full nine board playing area as shown in FIGS. 11D and 115. In the CHESS-A-PEAKE-ONE version, one of the additional sets of chessmen (X and O is initially set up on the southeast and northwest boards 15 and 11. The associated pawns (P, and P,) move toward the south and north boards, respectively, and thereafter turn toward the centerboard and commissioning areas 27 and 26, respectively. The other additional set of chessmen (X and O is initially set up on the west and east boards and the pawns thereof (P and P move toward the centerboard and thereafter turn toward their respective commissioning areas 26 and 27, respectively.

In the Cl-IESS-A-PEAKE-TWO version, as illustrated in FIG. 11E, the additional sets of chessmen are set up only on the corner boards. The pawns (P, and. P associated with the chessmen on the upper corner boards (0, and 0 move toward the north board 12 and thereafter move south through guard row 6" to commissioning area 26. The pawns (P and P associated with the chcssmen on the lower comer boards (X, and X,) move toward the south board 16 and thereafter advance in a northerly direction to commissioning area 27.

CHESS-A-WORLD-WAR also utilizes nine checkerboards, but is a more fully-expanded eightplayer game. In addition to the chcssmen set up as in CHESS-A-PEAKE-TWO (FIG. 11E), another set of chessmen (X, and 0,) is initially set up on the east and west boards. The pawns thereof (P, and P move toward the centerboard and then toward the commissioning areas 26 and 27, respectively. 7

FIG. 11G schematically illustrates the initial set up for the octagonal chess game which is also set up as an eight-player game. The chcssmen are set up in a manner very similar to CHESS-A-WORLD-WAR except that two sets of chcssmen (X, and 0,; X and are set up on the diagonal of the comer boards ll, l3, l and 17.

Before beginning to play the game, the players meet at what is called a Geneva conference" to select the desired game variations. For example, the players must decide which of the subtitle games will be set up and played. Also, there are several other significant rule variations which must be decided upon and which are as follows:

A SUPER-FORTIFIED game is where one or more of the nine boards are mismatched by turning a board or boards onequarter turn thereby causing the perfect checkered pattern to become disarranged.

A SlEGE-OF-PARIS game takes place when only the centerboard is turned one-quarter turn relative to the other boards. This results in a mismatch around the edges of the centerboard and thereby sets off the center playing area as a citadel which is difficult to penetrate by figures outside the centerboard.

CHESSTLING is where each player is given the privilege of turning one of the boards to a desired position as in the SUPER-FORTlFlED game. The players make their selections in sequence going through three successive rounds and the game is then played with the boards as positioned at the completion of the last round.

Sl-llFTlNG is a game which occurs when the players decide to move the boards into other than a square pattern such as, for example, shown in FIG. 9.

An AIR FORCE game takes place when the players decide to ignore the boundaries between adjacent checkerboards and thereby permit chessmen to cross from one board to another without stopping. Players can, if they desire, invoke the AIR FORCE variation at midpoint through the game.

, QUEENS WILD is a game variation whereby all pawns are commissioned as queens when they reach their respective commissioning areas. For this variation, it is desirable to have special "heads which can be temporarily placed upon a pawn to indicate that it has been commissioned as a queen.

DOUBL1NG-THE-POWER-OF-Tl-lE-GUARD is a variation wherein the guard figures (24 and 25 in FIG. 1) are given increased powers. Normally, the guard can move one square in any direction and capture one square on any diagonal. When the power of the guard is doubled, the guard can move one square in any direction and can also capture one square in any direction. Also, the power of the guard can be tripled by permitting movements and capturing of two squares in any direction. The powers of the guard can be lessened by restricting the movement and capturing powers. This variation can be invoked during mid game should the players desire.

There are two checkmate variations which must also be decided upon by the players at their Geneva conference. Ac-

cording to one variation, when a king is captured or points to a player for each captured enemy chessman, the point system being weighted according to the relative values of the figures. For example, checkmating of a king would be worth 20 points, the capture of a queen, 10 points, the capture of a rook, 5 points, the capture of a bishop, 3 points, the capture of a knight, 3 points, and the capture of a pawn, 1 point. Capture of the guards would be worth 3, 5 or 7 points according to its power (regular power 3 points).

Although numerous specific embodiments according to the invention have been illustrated in detail, the invention is not limited to these specific embodiments, since there are numerous other variations which should be obvious to others skilled in the game. The invention is more particularly defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A chesslike game for at least two players comprising:

an enlarged checkerboard including a center checkered playing area with ranks and files of bilaterally alternating colored spaces, and

additional checkered playing areas of bilaterally alternating colored spaces at least including two ranks adjacent the ranks at each of the edges of said center playing area;

a set of chess pieces, consisting of a subset of eight royalty figures for each of two players initially positioned to form a royalty row along each of the ranks at the edges of said center playing area,

a subset of eight pawn figures for each of two players initially positioned on said center playing area in the ranks adjacent the ranks occupied by the royalty figures to form a pawn row in front of each royalty row, and

a subset of eight guard figures for each of two players ini tially positioned on said additional playing areas in ranks adjacent the ranks occupied by the royalty row to form a guard row behind each royalty row to protect said royalty rows from attack from the rear, said guard figures for each player being identical to each other and being visually distinguishable from said royalty figures and said pawn figures.

2. A chesslike game according to claim 1 wherein said center checkered area consists of eight ranks and eight files.

3. A chesslike game according to claim 1 wherein said additional playing areas comprise a plurality of checkered playing areas each including eight ranks and eight files.

4. A chesslike game according to claim 1 comprising additional sets of chess pieces for additional players, said additional sets of chess pieces being initially positioned along selected edge portions of said additional playing areas.

5. A chesslike game according to claim 1 wherein said enlarged checkerboard is of a generally octagonal shape.

6. A chesslike game according to claim 5 further including a second set of chess pieces initially positioned in diagonal rows near the periphery of said octagonal-shaped checkerboard.

7. A chesslike game for a least two players comprising:

an enlarged checkerboard including a center checkered playing area with ranks and files of bilaterally alternating colored spaces, and

additional checkered playing areas of bilaterally alternating colored spaces at least including two ranks adjacent the ranks at each of the edges of said center playing area;

certain designated commissioning areas designated on said enlarged checkerboard;

a first set of chess pieces, consisting of a subset of eight royalty figures for each of two players initially positioned to form a royalty row along each of the ranks at the edges of said center playing area,

a subset of eight pawn figures for each of two players initially positioned on said center playing area in the ranks adjacent the ranks occupied by the royalty figures to form a pawn row in front of each royalty row, and

a subset of eight guard figures for each of two players initially positioned on said additional playing areas in ranks adjacent the ranks occupied by the royalty row to form a guard row behind each royalty row to protect said royalty rows from attack from the rear, said guard figures for each player being identical to each other and being visually distinguishable from said royalty figures and said pawn figures;

at least a second set of chess pieces, consisting of a subset of eight royalty figures for each of two players initially positioned to form royalty rows on said additional playing areas, and

a subset of eight pawn figures for each of two players initially positioned on said additional checkered playing areas in rows adjacent the royalty rows said pawn figures of said first and second sets of chess pieces being permitted to advance toward specified ones of said commissioning areas.

8. A chesslike game according to claim 7 wherein said pawn figures of said second set of chess pieces advance directly toward said commissioning areas located on said center playing area.

9. A chesslike game according to claim 7 wherein said pawn figures of said second set of chess pieces advance toward a selected portion of said additional playing areas and then turn toward said commissioning areas.

10. A chesslike game according to claim 7, wherein said pawn figures of said second set of chess pieces advance toward said center playing area and then turn toward said commissioning areas.

11. A chesslike game for four or more players comprising a playing surface, including a plurality of checkered playing boards each including ranks and files of bilaterally colored spaces,

said playing boards being arranged so that a portion of each board abuts the edge of at least one other board without intervening gameboard indicia so that the alternating colored spaces along a common border of two adjacent playing boards are mismatched, and

means marking the boundaries between individual boards,

and

a plurality of sets of chessmen, at least one set being initially positioned along selected outer edge portions of said playing surface.

12. A chesslike game according to claim 11 wherein said means marking the border between individual boards is the spacing between adjacent boards.

13. A chesslike game according to claim 11 wherein said bilaterally alternating colored spaces in adjacent playing boards are visually distinguishable from each other.

14. A chesslike game according to claim 11 wherein said playing surface has a nonrectangular configuration.

15. A chesslike game for at least two players comprising:

a plurality of conventional checkerboards with ranks and files of bilaterally alternating colored spaces;

a supporting surface providing a surface for loosely supporting said checkerboards in physical abutment;

a raised border near the edges of said supporting surface to confine said checkerboards to desired positions upon said supporting surface and wherein said supporting surface and raised board combination permits a rotation of one of said boards relative to the other boards so that the alternating colored spaces along a common border of two 7 adjacent playing boards can be mismatched. 16. A chesslike game according to claim 15 wherein said bilaterally alternating colored spaces in adjacent playing boards are visually distinguishable from each other. 

1. A chesslike game for at least two players comprising: an enlarged checkerboard including a center checkered playing area with ranks and files of bilaterally alternating colored spaces, and additional checkered playing areas of bilaterally alternating colored spaces at least including two ranks adjacent the ranks at each of the edges of said center playing area; a set of chess pieces, consisting of a subset of eight royalty figures for each of two players initially positioned to form a royalty row along each of the ranks at the edges of said center playing area, a subset of eight pawn figures for each of two players initially positioned on said center playing area in the ranks adjacent the ranks occupied by the royalty figures to form a pawn row in front of each royalty row, and a subset of eight guard figures for each of two players initially positioned on said additional playing areas in ranks adjacent the ranks occupied by the royalty row to form a guard row behind each royalty row to protect said royalty rows from attack from the rear, said guard figures for each player being identical to each other and being visually distinguishable from said royalty figures and said pawn figures.
 2. A chesslike game according to claim 1 wherein said center checkered area consists of eight ranks and eight files.
 3. A chesslike game according to claim 1 wherein said additional playing areas comprise a plurality of checkered playing areas each including eight ranks and eight files.
 4. A chesslike game according to claim 1 comprising additional sets of chess pieces for additional players, said additional sets of chess pieces being initially positioned along selected edge portions of said additional playing areas.
 5. A chesslike game according to claim 1 wherein said enlarged checkerboard is of a generally octagonal shape.
 6. A chesslike game according to claim 5 further including a second set of chess pieces initially positioned in diagonal rows near the periphery of said octagonal-shaped checkerboard.
 7. A chesslike game for a least two players comprising: an enlarged checkerboard including a center checkered playing area with ranks and files of bilaterally alternating colored spaces, and additional checkered playing areas of bilaterally alternating colored spaces at least including two ranks adjacent the ranks at each of the edges of said center playing area; certain designated commissioning areas designated on said enlarged checkerboard; a first set of chess pieces, consisting of a subset of eight royalty figures for each of two players initially positioned to form a royalty row along each of the ranks at the edges of said center playing area, a subset of eight pawn figures for each of two players initially positioned on said center playing area in the ranks adjacent the ranks occupied by the royalty figures to form a pawn row in front of each royalty row, and a subset of eight guard figures for each of two players initially positioned on said additional playing areas in ranks adjacent the ranks occupied by the royalty row to form a guard row behind each royalty row to protect said royalty rows from attack from the rear, said guard figures for each player being identical to each other and being visually distinguishable from said royalty figures and said pawn figures; at least a second set of chess pieces, consisting of a subset of eight royalty figures for each of two players initially positioned to form royalty rows on said additional playing areas, and a subset of eight pawn figures for each of two players initially positioned on said additional checkered playing areas in rows adjacent the royalty rows said pawn figures of said first and second sets of chess pieces being permitted to advance toward specified ones of said commissioning areas.
 8. A chesslike game according to claim 7 wherein said pawn figures of said second set of chess pieces advance directly toward said commissioning areas located on said center playing area.
 9. A chesslike game according to claim 7 wherein said pawn figures of said second set of chess pieces advance toward a selected portion of said additional playing areas and then turn toward said commissioning areas.
 10. A chesslike game according to claim 7, wherein said pawn figures of said second set of chess pieces advance toward said center playing area and then turn toward said commissioning areas.
 11. A chesslike game for four or more players comprising a playing surface, including a plurality of checkered playing boards each including ranks and files of bilaterally colored spaces, said playing boards being arranged so that a portion of each board abuts the edge of at least one other board without intervening gameboard indicia so that the alternating colored spaces along a common border of two adjacent playing boards are mismatched, and means marking the boundaries between individual boards, and a plurality of sets of chessmen, at least one set being initially positioned along selected outer edge portions of said playing surface.
 12. A chesslike game according to claim 11 wherein said means marking the border between individual boards is the spacing between adjacent boards.
 13. A chesslike game according to claim 11 wherein said bilaterally alternating colored spaces in adjacent playing boards are visually distinguishable from each other.
 14. A chesslike game according to claim 11 wherein said playing surface has a nonrectangular configuration.
 15. A chesslike game for at least two players comprising: a plurality of conventional checkerboards with ranks and files of bilaterally alternating colored spaces; a supporting surface providing a surface for loosely supporting said checkerboards in physical abutment; a raised border near the edges of said supporting surface to confine said checkerboards to desired positions upon said supporting surface and wherein said supporting surface and raised board combination permits a 90* rotation of one of said boards relative to the other boards so that the alternating colored spaces along a common border of two adjacent playing boards can be mismatched.
 16. A chesslike game according to claim 15 wherein said bilaterally alternating colored spaces in adjacent playing boards are visually distinguishable from each other. 